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Head of the Serpent, Part I
Flight Bay - (Systems Deck: Dreadnaught) Despite the dreadnaught's impressive size, this hangar bay is built with housing in mind for no more than a full squadron of starfighters. The icy cold of space penetrates the magnetic containment field here, the temperature always hovering at a few degrees above freezing. Fuel lines snake across the deck plating, itself made of a layer of duracrete strong enough to support whatever vessels land here. The sharp smells of fuel, lubricants, and heated metals assault the nose, while a near-constant hum of sound invades the ears as droids and maintenance crews do their jobs. A large hatchway leads to the main corridor on this deck, permitting access into and out of this twenty- by sixty-meter bay. Though this hatch is generally open, a very clearly marked set of blast doors are ready to be slammed shut at the first sign of decompression or failure of the magcon field. Above the deck, sitting in a small blister on the ceiling, is the flight controller's observation post. From here, the crewman directs flight operations aboard the dreadnaught. "I'll probably be staying behind on the Dreadnaught and engage her escorts," Cooper says, he, Aegis, and Ruu talking in the Dreadnaught's Flight Bay. Obi-Wan Kenobi walks along the corridor, then steps into the flight bay. "We should be dropping out of hyperspace shortly. It would be best to get in positions." Valin steps down from a small Firespray class vessel in the landing bay, hands folding in front of his robe as he makes his way towards Obi-Wan, "How many have come?" He questions the old Master, inclining his head. A small, vaguely delta-shaped starfighter is perched in the Dreadnaught's bay, the bubble-shaped cockpit rising slowly. The piloting Twi'leki, Jedi Knight Nee'luk, climbs out, dropping to the ground in a silent crouch. He rises, approaching the other pair of Jedi. "I am here. It has been too long, Master Kenobi. It is good to see you are still well." This is said with the deepest respect, the Twi'leki making a bow to the aging human. Shuffling through the corridor with a hurried step, Frinr steps into the flight bay. Stress makes its heart pump faster, blood rushing under the clear skin. The J'rathi's large blue-green eyes examine all that are gathering in here, a slight frown pulling at the outer edges of its thin lips. Aegis shrugs his shoulders. "I'm reluctant to man a turrent after our battle at Bespin, but if there's no room for me on the assault team, I'll try again. I leave the decision to the Jedi, I suppose," he states with a frown. Jaren Bonth stands around, listening to the conversation as it goes on, leaning on one of the bulkheads. His piloting helmet dangles from one of his hands as he yawns a little bit, reachign up and scratching his head. Dronosk walks into the flight bay. The T'doshok is clad in a powersuit, as per usual, which makes an array of noises as he walks. Amber eyes dart and nictate as he eyes the surroundings, settling mostly on Cooper and Ruu. Adding to the menagerie of nonhumans on the deck is a jet-black wall of fur and muscle. This creature, a wookiee, steps out of the back end of a shuttlecraft landed here, front of her vest bulging in spots. Her paws are linked in front of her, digits weaved together at her waist. She's silent as she turns her head, gaze moving from Nee'Luk to Valin to Ben Kenobi, nodding to each of them in turn, and mostly ignoring the Rebel percentage of the flight bay's occupants. "Leave the decision to the Jedi," Ruu scoffs at Aegis, eyes moving back into her head as she rolls them. "I'll be above," the pale-skinned twi'leki says before turning, nose wrinkled, and heading out into the corridor, presumably to man a set of guns. "So will I." Cooper says, "Ghost Squadron, warm up your fighters, and prepare to launch." he looks towards Kenobi, "Good luck," he says, before stepping out and heading for the bridge, catching a ride up the lift with Ruu. Obi-Wan Kenobi inclines his head, smiling faintly at Nee'luk. "I am pleased you could make it." He laces his fingers together within the sleeves of his earthy brown robes as he turns his bearded face to regard Valin. "It would seem we have four Jedi for the infiltration." His eyebrows lift a little. "Adequate, I hope." He looks toward Aegis. "Given our mission, you might end up being more a liability than a benefit. I suggest we wait until our arrival in the Ryloth system, assess the situation and then determine a final strategy." Valin nods his head in turn, a calm gaze drifting towards Aegis, "We are more suited for the conditions of the operation. I am sure you are a capable rifleman, but some of the elements we face may ever outstrip your own talents." He shifts his position slightly, robe falling open to reveal the blaster on his hip, and now, a pair of metal cylinders, one roughly thirty centimeters in the length, the second almost double that. "Indeed. What we face may, I fear, be beyond conventional methods." Nee'luk speaks in agreement of Kenobi and Valin, quietly. The alien's strange mastery of the Coruscanti inflections of Basic rings through every word, even as he continues, "We must face the guardsmen, Master. They are powerful warriors, and fanatic in their devotion." Not fear so much as a barely-perceptible apprehension, but the Knight speaks his thoughts regardless. The J'rathi turns to follow Cooper, "Commander. A word." The clear skinned one approaches, its voice lower now, "There seemed to be a plethra of guns that needed manned. There are a few of us with some training to do so. Since our survival is directly tied with the survival of this ship, we are asking permission to help with the defense of the ship." Aegis shrugs at the Jedi. "As you wish, Jedi. Simply thought I'd volunteer--I may not be able to handle one of your fancy weapons, but I'm damn tough to hit with a blaster, and you may need someone with longer range. The Royal Guard is formidable." Jaren Bonth nods and gives a small grunt as he pulls his helmet on, heading for Ghost 3 as per the usual. He climbs the ladder and heads into the cockpit, closing the happy canopy quickly, giving the hangar crew a decisive thumbs up before it closes completely... The Iron Hand drops out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the star system that once was home to Ryloth - the Twi'lek homeworld, no more than a debris field now. On sensors, one can make out a single starship beyond the slowly rolling chunks of the former planet: The Imperial Starliner Vendetta. It hangs motionless against a starry backdrop, its engines currently dormant. No sign of the Imperial escort fighters, although a voice can be heard over the general comm frequency: "...don't care to hear any more excuses, Lieutenant. Get that escort here without delay. Our technical problem should be resolved by the time they arrive." One of the shift pilots in the dreadnaught's bridge gets on the intercom to the rest of the ship: "We've arrived at Ryloth System, near side of the debris field. The Vendetta is on the other side. Comm traffic suggests they're having some problems. And the escort fighters aren't here yet." Dronosk lumbers toward Ruu and Cooper. He is either ignoring the Wookiee, or does not notice it... for now. "Captain." He bobs his snot towards Ruu, then to Coop, eyeing the Jedi present. "Hrr... An interesting assembly," the T'doshok observes. Javak steps out into the hangar bay, drawing his coat tightly closed around himself. He grunts, and reaches back to run his hand through his hair, walking quickly over towards the group of Jedi and others. He grunts, and then offers, a simple, "Yer back, Slick," followed by a question: "How can Ah help?" In Shyriiwook: Still quiet, Cryyalla begins to drift toward the trio of Jedi, following after Nee'Luk. Her gaze wanders between the three once more before coming to a stop upon Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi," she begins, breaking her fast of words. "Not the most pleasant of circumstances for our first meeting," she states in a series of growls, a grim smirk crossing her fur-lined lips. The pale-skinned twi'lek known as Lennix Ruu continues on, glancing behind her once as the J'Rathi approaches Coop. She doesn't stop, however, and steps with a businesslike stride into the Dreadnaught's main turbolift car as its doors slide open with a hiss. "Of course," Cooper says to the J'rathi, motioning him into the lift ash he steps in, "I'd appreciate it." he thumbs the intercom button, and says to the officer on the bridge, "I'm on my way up." Obi-Wan Kenobi looks up as the ship drops out of hyperspace and the bridge officer makes his announcement. A smile touches his lips. He then nods toward Cryyalla. "The circumstances just got a little better." He regards the other Jedi with all seriousness, allowing the smile to sweep itself away. "Our contact made this possible. The Vendetta's sensors are offline, and a simple matter of computer slicing arranged a rescheduling of the escort fighters' arrival time. We must act quickly. We have perhaps one hour to dock with the Vendetta, get in and complete our mission before those fighters arrive." Valin closes his eyes a moment, head tilting towards the roof of the flight bay, a faint frown appearing, "There is a presence out there Obi-Wan...can you feel it? He must be here, nothing else could radiate that much hate..." His eyes open as he brings his head back down, calmness returning slowly. "I can see nothing further. But it is to be expected, the Dark Side clouds everything here." Wit that he readjusts his robe, and waits for Obi-Wan to lead them to the shuttle. "There is not enough darkness int he universe, Valin, to cut away the light of but a single, flickering flame." This is the Twi'leki's response, even as he nods. "I can feel it, too. Such a disgust for life, a lust for power." This Jedi, too, waits for Obi-Wan to lead them. "As in my youth, I await the commands of a Master." Frinr steps into the car with Cooper and Ruu, nodding its head slightly. "Unfortunately, not all the guns are online yet, and each gunner will indeed be controlling a bank of turrets. Mrropl says it should be just like using a single turret, the computer will be aiding." The J'rathi takes a breath, then blinks as it looks up at Cooper, "Even with the modifications, there are not enough bodies to man all the guns." Aegis watches the Jedi carefully, though he does nod in greeting to Javak. "Good to see you, big guy," he states, before turning to wait for the Jedis' final plan. Jaren Bonth is sitting in the cockpit of his X-Wing, Ghost 3, waiting for the order to launch. He runs through a checklist every so often, yawning a little bit. "How y'feelin', Sidd?" he calls over the commlink, waiting... Dronosk follows Coop, Ruu, and the J'rathi, hurrying his pace to a jog. "Hold the lift," he grunts. Javak shoots a brief grin and a nod over at Aegis, before flicking his bright eyes back onto the Jedi, apparently assuming that they are running the show. After a moment, he leans towards Aegis, and whispers, "We goin' with 'em, or 're they gonna take 'im on ba theyselves?" Sitting in the cockpit of the Ghost Four, Sidd is resting within the X-Wing waiting for orders of any sort, canopy closed around him. The Fighter Pilot then raises a gloved hand to his commlink, "Quite fine, you?" he says to Jaren. In Shyriiwook: "I shall strive to make sure that it is not our last," Cryyalla grumbles out to Kenobi with an accompanying nod. "I am afraid that I am not as well versed in Imperial lore as the three of you. There will be a delay before we arrive. What knowledge would you share with me of the guardsmen you spoke of?" Cryyalla turns to ask the party of Jedi in general, tilting her head to the left. "I'll just cross my fingers and hope that I'm one enough more for you," Ruu says in the direction of the see-through J'Rathi in the turbolift with a grin. She glances toward the incoming lizardman through the open 'lift doors and waves him in with her left hand hurriedly. "Most of 'em work, though, right?" Cooper says, peering at the J'rathi. "The more the merrier, Frinr. Any other J'rathi manning any guns?" he says, then looks towards Ruu, and grins, "This is it." he says softly, pressing the button for deck 1 once Dronosk is inside the lift. "Destiny awaits," the old Jedi says to his companions. Kenobi looks toward the other rebels in the flight bay. "This battle is as much yours as it is ours. What we do today cannot be undone. Like as not, we'll be hunted down and killed if we manage to survive a successful effort." He then spreads his arms at angles to his sides, palms out. "If you wish to join the mission, I leave that choice to you. But make it quickly. We leave at once." He starts walking up the ramp of the shuttle. "May the Force be with us." "The Crimson Guards are the most elite soldiers the Emperor has at his disposal. We will face no fewer than a dozen of these, likely, and each are more than a match for a conventional fighter. They were originally his protectors against Jedi assassins, and were successful. Those first have by now probably passed on, and the new crop are highly-trained, favored members of his Stormtrooper legions." This is Nee'luk's response to the Wookiee Cryyalla, as the Twi'leki Jedi ascends the ramp behind Master Kenobi. Valin nods his head, following Obi-Wan up the ramp of the shuttle, he looks towards La adding, "The Emperors personal bodyguard, the finest of his Stormtroopers, then trained above them again...they are a formidable adversary." He continues on with the other Jedi. The clear skinned one blinks, its hands open and palm up as it shrugs, "Mostly engineers on here, good engineers. Frinr is not such a good engineer, but knows how to do other things. A few with training like mine on here. Most were on the cruisers." Frinr blinks again, "Yes, most of the weapons work now." Aegis looks at the floor, debating for several moments before looking to Javak. "They'll need you on the guns, big guy. Not to mention that the captain might need you before this is over," he states before extending his hand in a farewell handshake. "I'm going with the Jedi--it'll probably mean simply staying out of the Jedi's way, but I may be able to help--I trained to be a Royal Guard, for a brief period, at least," he says, his eyes distant. "I'll see you after," he says before following the Jedi into the shuttle. "Other than my nerves being racked because of this, I'm just fine," Jaren replies to Sidd. He sighs a little bit, running through Ghost three's checklist again, flipping switches...For some reason, he can't shake the feelings of what happened at Bespin. Dronosk snorts as he enters the lift, nodding to Coop and Ruu, and then eyeing the J'rathi. Javak nods, once, gulping, and looking over at Aegis. "Ah don' think so, Slick.. Ah'm goin with ya.. It was jus luck that Ah didn' kill maself in tha turret..." he then starts towards the Jedi shuttle, calling after them, "Ah don' suppose there's time ta put on some heavier armor, is there?" Sidd yawns, promptly covering it up with his right hand while his left hand reaches forward as his body sits up slightly in the cockpit. The Fighter Pilot begins to run a couple checks of his own on the Ghost Four, smirking as he listens to Jaren over the commlink, though he does not reply. Cryyalla's eyes half-close as she replies, lapsing out of Shyriiwook and using a more universal tongue, for the Jedi, at least. ~They sound very good at what they do, indeed,~ she sends silently through the Force, loosing the thought toward the other beings on the deck sensitive to the flows of the Force. The wookiee alone remains stationary on the deck for a moment before she, too, begins to make her way toward the shuttlecraft, walking with the speed of a businessperson reporting to a meeting early. Ruu keeps silent, now, bouncing on her heels as she crosses her arms, sighing as she glances around at the humming turbolift car impatiently. The landing ramp of the shuttle begins to lift toward the closed position as Kenobi settles into the pilot's seat and activates the engines, preparing the launch sequence. Cooper nods at Frinr, "We'll take what we can get. We'll need the Engineers on damcon if a fight does break out." he says, riding the lift up thorugh the Dreadnaught's decks. Valin settles himself into the shuttle, shedding the black outer robe, revealing the more traditional tabarded tunic and trousers of the Jedi, though they are colored a charcoal grey. He looks towards Javak as the ramp begins to silently close, "No. I am afraid there is not." The shorter cylinder from his side is unclipped, a critical eye run over its surface. As Nee'luk seats himself in the shuttle, he draws his legs up beneath him, his one biological eye closing and his lips slowly moving. To those familiar, it would appear he is murmuring the Jedi Code. As he sits in this attitude, both of his lightsabers hang down, resting against the seat. By all appearances, he is meditating on the present situation. Frinr peers at the one in the powersuit, or Dronosk, blinking once, then twice. "Intresting, will you let me take that apart later?" the J'rathi asks, waiting for the car to stop. Aegis settles into one of the seats, shrugging at the big human. "Sorry, big guy, looks like you're sans shell for this one," he states with a wry grin. "Perhaps they'd let you off if you asked nicely. I'm not sure I like the idea of leaving Ruu with that rabble without one of us there," he states with a chuckle. The shuttle lifts off from the flight deck of the Iron Hand, wings swinging downward and locking into transit position. Kenobi angles the vessel around, then activates the thrusters and boosts the shuttle out into the cold vacuum of space. Blinking red and green telltale lights on the wingtips glow as the Lambda-class shuttle maneuvers among the rubble of Ryloth, approaching the starliner Vendetta. Once the shuttle is clear of the rubble, Kenobi checks a display. "Their sensors are still down," he says. "Stand by. We'll lock to their upper hull access hatch shortly." He maneuvers the shuttle along the dorsal surface of the Vendetta, switching the wings so they fold upward. Braking with retrojets, Kenobi brings the shuttle down so its ventral docking collar links with a ring-shaped hatch atop the Vendetta. Once he confirms with the computer that they've safely connected with the starliner, he stands and says, "The clock is running, my friends." He walks toward the back compartment, then kneels to tap a few buttons on a keypad. The access hatch in the compartment floor hisses open, revealing a ladder down to an access airlock inside the starliner. Kenobi draws a deep breath, looks around, then commits himself: Down the ladder, he starts descending. Access Lock (ISL Vendetta) An airlock access in the upper hull of the Imperial Starliner Vendetta, about five feet wide by six feet long by five feet high - requiring even relatively short people to crouch to fit comfortably. The access lock is used in emergencies for rescue vessels to hook up and retrieve survivors. The floor and ceiling are airtight, vacuum-protected plates of metal, with hatches for entering the vessel proper or departing to the upper hull. The walls are black steel perforated by six vertical crimson illumination strips each. "Rather tight fit," Kenobi says, quickly finding a control pad for the lower hatch. He taps a button. The hatch leading back to the shuttle above whooshes shut. Then, a warning buzzer goes off and the lower hatch whooshes open, revealing a corridor below. The Jedi Master checks for the lightsaber at his side, then jumps down into the starliner. Valin follows behind Obi-Wan, a hand resting on the lightsaber at his side as he drops down the hatch, moving quickly away from the gap in the roof. "Into the breach, then." The Twi'leki Jedi half-jumps, half-falls down into the Starliner after Obi-Wan and Valin after ensuring his lightsabers are still firmly clipped to his belt. As soon as he is down, he skitters away, cybernetic sensor sweeping the corridor for opposition. The black-furred wookiee moves to the rear of the spacecraft and pauses at the threshold before her. She glances to the shuttle behind her before following the others. She descends, climbing down the ladder into the Imperial ship with only the soft sounds of her fur brushing the rungs reporting her presence. Aegis looks to Javak. "Been good to see you again, bud. Good luck," he states as he drops into the corridor below, his landing surprisingly light for someone of his size. He glances about the corridor as he pulls a blaster rifle from beneath his leather jacket, checking the settings as he watches the Jedi for instructions. Javak snorts, shaking his head at Aegis. "Ah'll be fine. Ah'll jus have ta worry bout duckin' a bit more then usual.. And Ah wouldn' be surprised if'n Ah can jus grab some offa somebody else.. who knows, might even turn out useful." He then moves down the ladder, glancing about, his rifle held close. He reaches down and taps a button on a small disc, a personal shield springing to life around him. When he creeps forward, dropping down into the corridor. Utility Corridor (ISL Vendetta) A narrow corridor, about four feet wide and six feet high, providing easy access for technicians who need to move throughout the Imperial Starliner Vendetta to get to many of the electronic and power regulation components for the vessel. The walls are black metal with regularly spaced vertical crimson light strips and protrusions that can be opened with proper keycard identification. The upper hull access airlock hatch is in the ceiling overhead. A narrow passage squeezes off toward starboard. As the Jedi and rebels descend from the access lock, a technician working in the narrow corridor looks over from his project - an open panel and a spaghetti-like mass of wiring. "You there," he says, scowling, "you're not authorized to be in this area." He starts reaching for his commlink. Obi-Wan Kenobi smiles serenely, waving a hand as he speaks to the technician. "We have the proper authorization. We should move along, let you get back to work." Valin smiles faintly at the technician, hands by his sides, but not resting on any of the devices there, he leaves the speaking to Kenobi though, for the moment. Just watching silently. The technician just nods, a blank look on his face. The hand moves away from the commlink. "You're authorized. Move along now. I've got work to do." Nee'luk is for the moment silent, his hands well away from his lightsabers for the moment. The soft browns of his garments give a contrast against the deck plating here, and the cybernetic implanted in his face glows with all the force of a glowing cybernetic eye. The Knight waits for Kenobi to move, ready to follow the Master. Unlike the robes traditional to most practitioners of the Force, Cryyalla wears her fur, her vest... and something akin to what the members of the Rebellion wear. A paw reaches up to the hexagonal device clipped to her vest and hovers there, but does not activate it, yet. The wookiee glances toward the rebels, and then makes her way forward, cutting the distance between herself and Nee'Luk. Aegis holds his rifle low in as non-threatening a manner as possible as he watches the old Jedi speak with the Imperial technician. He does take the precaution of surrepticiously flicking the weapon over to the stun setting in case they meet any technicians with stronger minds than this one. Javak brings his weapon up, training it on the technician for a moment, before he moves it to one side and continues on. He proceeds along behind the Jedi, gaze cautious and step light for one so large. Obi-Wan Kenobi leaves the technician to his work. Without a word, he starts making his way down a passage leading toward the starliner's main corridor. Main Corridor (ISL Vendetta) A broad corridor, about twenty feet across and ten feet tall, leading from the command center aft toward the hangar. The floor is polished black metal emblazoned in the middle of the corridor with a royal blue Imperial emblem underscored by the name Vendetta. The walls are black metal perforated at regular intervals by wide crimson illumination strips. An access passage squeezes off toward port. In the main corridor of the ISL Vendetta, eight white-armored stormtroopers armed with E-11 rifles are marching fore from the hangar, about to pass the utility passage that leads into the tech access corridor where the Jedi and rebels are lurking. Past the stormtroopers, proceeding aft, one can see a hunched figure in a black robe and hood, supported by a gleaming black staff, escorted by six crimson-garbed Imperial guards hefting force pikes. The Emperor and his red entourage disappear into the hangar. Obi-Wan Kenobi watches the stormtroopers as they go past, pressing against the bulkhead, trying to keep in the shadows as they proceed forward. The patrol of stormtroopers is almost past without noticing anything amiss, until Aegis makes a soft coughing noise. One of the troopers stops. His seven companions stop as well. The commander of the troop asks, "TK925, why did you stop?" The trooper identified as TK925 replies, "Thought I saw something down that access corridor, sir." The commander glances toward where the Jedi and Rebels are hiding. He then turns his attention back to TK925: "Probably the technician fixing the sensors. Come on." With that, the troopers proceed on their way. A close call for the intruders. Valin doesn't allow a sigh to escape his lips, just throws a glance back towards Aegis, then follow Kenobi silently. His boots hardly making a sound against the hard floor. He focuses his gaze towards the Hangar, sending a short, tight, mental communication to the other Jedi, ~There...~ ~I see. How shall we proceed, Master?~ These thoughts are directed to the other Jedi, Nee'luk quietly moving his hands closer to his lightsabers as the Force continues to cloak his presence in the corridor. ~Half a dozen of the guardsmen, but they are moving to the hangar. We mustn't let them escape!~ The Knight is not impatient, but the constant calm that surrounds him is broken slightly; he is slightly apprehensive, and not hiding the fact well from the others. Cryyalla is silent, both telepathically to the other Jedi, and physically, as she focuses, brow wrinkling to keep herself hidden from the perceptions of the nearby Imperials. The paw hovering near her shield remains there, ready to use if it should become instantly necessary. She still makes no sound as Luck communicates his feelings to her and the other Jedi, but her lip twitches slightly, moving from neutral into a slight frown. Aegis doesn't look the others in the eye as he grimaces at himself, knowing he nearly ended the mission in less-than-spectacular fashion. He flicks the rifle back to kill mode--the upcoming fight will be kill-or-be-killed, even for the 'life is sacred' Jedi Knights. He looks to Kenobi, waiting for instructions. Javak shoots a frown at Aegis, as he watches the Stormtrooper's move past. When he spots the Emperor and his guardsmen, the Jedi might be able to sense a brief bubbling of hate within him, before he glances between them, waiting for the next step. He reaches forward, checking to make sure that there is a grenade in the Blackjack's tube. "Try harder to prove me wrong," Kenobi says wryly to Aegis as he makes his way down the corridor, he draws his lightsaber from the clasp at his hip, thumb resting on the activator button as he steps into the hangar. Hangar Bay (ISL Vendetta) A cavernous hangar takes up a large portion of the aft quarter of the upper hull of the Imperial Starliner Vendetta, with a broad floor of polished black deckplates, starboard and port bulkheads blistering with equipment manifolds and perforated with vertical illumination strips that glow a rather exuberant blood-red. A glowing blue ribbon of light encircles the open bay, framing the starfield beyond and signifying the active and functional force field separating atmosphere from vacuum. A blast door imprinted with a royal blue Imperial insignia leads into the starship proper. Within the hangar, the six crimson-robed Imperial guards stand at the base of the shuttle Revenant's lowered ramp. Standing upon the ramp of the Revenant, the hooded and stooped form of the Emperor can be seen. "All is proceeding as I have foreseen," the figure says - but those who have heard him speak before will not recognize the voice as that of Palpatine. The figure straightens, drops the supporting staff and reaches up to pull back his hood, revealing the gaunt, mirthless face of Grand Moff Tarkin. "You are far too trusting, Obi-Wan Kenobi." He speaks into his commlink: "You may commence disembarkation." The ramps of the other two shuttles, Valorous and Undauntable, begin to descend. Blast doors hiss closed behind the intruders, sealing the hangar from the main corridor. "Kill them," Tarkin tells the Imperial guards before turning to march up into the Revenant, whose ramp begins to rise. The six guards start closing on the Jedi and rebels. Meanwhile, outside the Vendetta... Warnings flash across the sensor array on the bridge of the Iron Hand as four new contacts appear. The vessels slide out of hyperspace and vector in on the dreadnaught, sleek, jet black, and definitely A-Wings. "Commander. I would also suggest launching those fighters now, and then raising what shielding we have. The Incom fighters you have are jump capable if the need to escape should arise." Frinr flicks the safety off on the turret, the weapons whine escalting to a high pitch as it his full power. "Or we just blow up the new contacts on sensors." It quickly swings the turret around, aiming for the nearest one. Sidd opens his eyes and his right hand rest upon his helmet as he hears Frinr's comment on the comm. Though that's all he does for now, as he wait for an order to launch his fighter from Cooper. Deke spins his guns about to meet this new potential threat. "Suicide jockeys, 6 o'clock," he announces with a hint of glee. "You want I should send them a greeting, boss?" "No argument there," Cooper says, "Ghost Squadron, launch, but wait for my order to engage. Gunnery, aquire locks and wait for my order to shoot." he raises the shields, leaving a small hole around the hangar for the fighters to exit through, "Strange. They're not the usual TIE fighters. In fact, one of the Jedi flies one. Might be an elite Squadron, though..." The A-Wings bank sharply and begin to circle the Dreadnaught, sitting just outside the range of her weapons batteries. The formation stays sharp, and synchronized, the pilots experienced and not missing a beat. Meanwhile, aboard the Vendetta... Obi-Wan Kenobi ignites his lightsaber as the Crimson Guards continue their menacing marching toward the group. "I *felt* his presence," Kenobi growls, sparing a quick glance toward Valin. "He must be here." He looks back at the Revenant. "Probably watching in no small amount of amusement. Let's give him no reason to smile." Valin tilts his head, the faint smile appearing again as he steps forward. With a soft *HISS* a bright yellow lightsaber blade springs from the tube in his hand. His empty hand spring up in a sharp pushing gesture at the closing Imperial Guardsmen, attempting to break up their formation. "I feel it too, Obi-Wan." The snap-hiss announcing the arrival of an active lightsaber blade bursts twice from Nee'luk's location. One of the blades is a brilliant white, the other a glowing crimson. The latter's hilt gives it away as the weapon once wielded by Darth Vader. The Twi'leki Jedi Knight extends one hand, seeking not to stop the guards, but instead to force the ramp on one of the shuttles closed, to prevent the disembarkment of more troops from at least that location. "He is here, Master Kenobi, or else we are all fooled." Aegis activates the personal shield generator on his belt, bringing his rifle up to his shoulder. "Suspected it'd end along these lines," he states grimly, sighting in on the descending ramp of the other shuttle. "Well, we may be about to die, but I'm glad you talked me into coming back just the same," he tells Valin as he readies the rifle. Javak flicks his rifle from 'SAFE' to 'AUTO', before reaching forward to squeeze the secondary trigger on that weapon. A concussion grenade flies forward, aimed for the ramp of the Revenant. Javak's grenade arcs up and over the red-helmeted heads of the Royal Guards as they continue marching toward the intruders, aiming their lethal force pikes at the Jedi and rebels. They move nimbly, smoothly, and rather quickly out of range of the erupting concussion grenade as the Revenant's ramp locks in place. Like the other intruders, Cryyalla prepares herself for battle. The ready paw flicks activated the wookiee's shield generator, and then reaches under her vest's center fold. Her scarred left paw withdraws, bearing a simple durasteel-and-copper tube; the wookiee's lightsaber. With the sound of snapping rock, a vibrant white blade extends, light whisps of purple trailing through, reflecting the nature of the odd focusing component within the blade's hilt. The wookiee raises the blade vertically, holding it to the left of her face defensively. While holding his lightsaber in his right hand, Kenobi puts up his left hand, palm out, and concentrates his will, shoving outward at one of the Royal Guards with Force telekinesis. The Royal Guard targeted by Kenobi, Valin and Cryyalla is flung backward through the air. The force pike goes flying toward one of the other two shuttles as the now-flying crimson-robed soldier comes crashing down among stacks of crates. He's knocked unconscious by the impact. Valin flicks his own hand to the side, the other holding the bright length of lightsaber, the gesture is directed at one of the leading guardsman's Force Pike, backed by the Force. Attempting to throw the weapon backwards, and perhaps the guard with it, it seems. One more Crimson Guard goes flinging through the air, impelled across the hangar by Valin's Force ability. He slides to a stop, unconscious, beneath the Revenant. Nee'luk continues in his concentrated effort to twist the durasteel of the shuttle's ramp into a closed position, the Knight's focus on controlling the Force to form it into an invisible, impossibly strong fist, seeking to crush the ramp back into the shuttle's body. At first, the ramp of the shuttle begins to shake and shudder from Nee'luks effort. But then it stops, held in place by the Force-powered effort of another. Someone much stronger. Cryyalla opts for a slight twist on the tactics of Kenobi and Valin. The black-furred wookiee's right paw loosen about her lightsaber's hilt as she lowers it slightly, to mid-chest level. Closing her eyes, she concentrates, using her affinity with the Force to attempt to give a crate behind her wings and send it careening toward the thick of Crimson Guardsmen. The crate flung by Cryyalla spins among the four remaining Royal Guards. Two of them deftly avoid the impact, ducking or stepping aside. The third just barely escapes with a bump to his shoulder. But the fourth is hit solidly by the crate, and he's trapped beneath the heavily laden box as it crushes him against the deck. Aegis whistles in impressed awe as the Jedi Knights scatter the approaching Royal Guards with their powers. "Wish I could do that," he says wistfully as he squeezes the trigger on his rifle, sending a trio of blaster bolts arching out at one of the still-standing Royal Guards. The first shot fired by Aegis strikes home, felling a third Crimson Guard. But the other two targeted guards dodge his blasts. One of them, in fact, rather coldly and calmly flings his force pike like a javelin aimed at Aegis' throat. Meanwhile, aboard the Iron Hand... Frinr aquires a lock on the nearest of the circling Awings, the out of range tone sounding, "I do not like this Commander. They are out of weapons range, just barely, and they know it." The J'rathi spins the turret, trying to keep the weapon locked on the target, "Fast as well. Hard to keep up with them." Its about that time the turret just can't keep up with the target. "I would say they are keeping us from the Starliner." Sidd smirks to himself and his right hand lifts his helmet and places it over his head. The Fighter Pilot then flicks a couple of switches and places his gloved hands upon the flightstick. The X-Wing promptly lifts off from its berth and flys out of the hangar bay of the Iron Hand. Meanwhile, aboard the Vendetta... Javak grunts as his grenade misses. He promptly switches tactics, focussing on the lead guardsman and squeezing the firing stud, sending three brilliant red blaster bolts in his direction. It's a good thing Aegis brought Javak along: Just as the Crimson Guard is unleashing the spear, Javak's shots lance outward, striking the guard. He staggers backward and the force pike is knocked off course. Its vibroblade tip buzzes just past Aegis' left ear before it impales itself in the bulkhead. Five guards down. One left, and he's getting ever closer. Kenobi once more concentrates his will and attempts to fling the Royal Guard. The last Crimson Guard is flung through the cavernous chamber. His pike clatters on the deckplates just before he slams into a bulkhead and then drops, motionless, to the floor. Valin returns his free hand to his lightsaber, the weapon in a two-handed grip, "That was too easy...I have a bad feeling about this." He turns his gaze towards the shuttle Nee'luk was attempting to disable earlier. The frown has broken through his mask again as he reaches out, trying to sense the contents of the shuttle. Nee'luk sends his attention to the other shuttle, the one not yet molested. The Force enhances his senses, permitting him to penetrate steel, fabric, and space, hopefully well enough to determine the contents of the ship's bay... and passenger areas. Cryyalla pauses to focus, sending her thoughts out toward the bridge of the Rebel ship on the other side of the asteroid field. ~If any of shuttles disembark, it is a priority to vaporize them,~ is the hasty message she attempts to send, trying to break it down into base emotions so as to be recognizable by its intended recipients, unsensitive as they might be. Stepping forward with her left foot and lowering her lightsaber to extend horizontally at her waist to her right, the wookiee begins to make her way toward the shuttle Revenant with a determined but quick gait. Aegis glances at Javak, nodding an unspoken thanks before glancing at the forcepike embedded in the bulkhead behind him. "Enough playing around," he states, dropping the smaller, heavily-ported blaster rifle, which swings from its strap back under his jacket. He pulls the larger blaster rifle slung over his shoulder down, checking the settings before bringing it to bear on the shuttle which seems to occupy several of the Jedis' attention. "Shall we blast it open?" he asks. Javak switches his rifle onto the ramp of one of the shuttles, aiming carefully at the opening. He braces himself, preparing to shoot anything coming down the ramp. He promptly asks, "If'n y'all want, Ah can send a grenade inta it?" The Revenant lifts off the deck of the hangar, wings swinging down and locking into the Y-formation for flight before rotating and thrusting out from the Vendetta. The Jedi are left among the sprawled forms of the fallen guards and their scattered force pikes. An eerie silence has fallen over the hangar. Then, heavy footsteps can be heard from the Valorous. A sound is heard before the shuttle's occupant is seen, however: An intermittent, somnolent, ominous hissing noise. The first that can be seen of the disembarking figure are dark boots, dark leg armor and a billowing black cape, a silver-buckled black belt, black gauntleted hands, an armored chest plate with blinking red and blue telltale lights, and, finally, an emotionless death's head mask and black visor contained within a curved black armor helmet: Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, reborn. "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan," Vader says, stepping off the ramp as he draws his lightsaber and ignites the virulent crimson blade, rebreather hissing as he stares toward the Jedi Master and his companions. "We all have." Down the ramps of the Valorous and Undauntable descend more figures in black armor and cloaks, rebreathers hissing in a sibilant cacophany of menace and doom. A total of thirty Dark Lords stalk off the shuttles, lightsabers flashing to life, and the weapons buzz together with a sound like so many bees in a hive. Continued in Head of the Serpent, Part II Category:Reach of the Empire Logs